Wise Dan Cleared to Resume Galloping
Image:
Description:
Charlie LoPresti heard the news he's been waiting on for months now, as the doctors at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital cleared two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan to resume galloping May 26.
Sidelined from racing since a non-displaced fracture of his fetlock at the bottom of his right front cannon bone was discovered last October, the winner of the 2012 and 2013 editions of the Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) could still mount a bid at this year's Breeders' Cup Mile to be run at Keeneland, with the sign-off from Dr. Larry Bramlage on a training regimen that includes gallop work as a key step in his progress.
The 8-year-old son of Wiseman's Ferry has been jogging at the Lexington oval while alternating that exercise with tack-walking every other day and will now step up the pace.
NOVAK: Wise Dan Back to Jogging on Track
"It's phenomenal, what it looks like," LoPresti said of the injury site. "Dr. Bramlage told me 'If you can keep a ring-bit on the trainer, the horse will be fine.'
"He wants to start galloping one day, jogging one day, and take one more set of pictures in 30 days. That's going to put the pressure on it, then he should be able to go back into full training."
Wise Dan, bred in Kentucky by owner Morton Fink out of the Wolf Power mare Lisa Danielle, has taken 11 grade I races in his 23 wins and finished second twice from 31 starts, good for earnings of more than $7.5 million. He was named Horse of the Year in 2013 and 2012, and swept the titles for champion turf male and champion older male in both of those seasons as well. Last year, Wise Dan won three grade I races and a grade II event despite having his season interrupted by colic surgery.